Boothbay Gray vs Iron Ore
Where Boothbay Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Boothbay Gray belongs to the blue-green family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Boothbay Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 38 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Boothbay Gray runs green while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 43.7, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Boothbay Gray vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Boothbay Gray and Iron Ore in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Boothbay Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Boothbay Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Boothbay Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Boothbay Gray vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Boothbay Gray on one side and Iron Ore on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Boothbay Gray comparisons
See how Boothbay Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 43, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 43), opening up a space where Boothbay Gray encloses it.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 43) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 43), opening up a space where Boothbay Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 43, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 27, Boothbay Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 43 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (55 vs 43) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 43 vs 13, Boothbay Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 43), opening up a space where Boothbay Gray encloses it.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 43, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 43, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 43, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 12, Boothbay Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 43, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 43 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 43), opening up a space where Boothbay Gray encloses it.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 12, Boothbay Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Boothbay Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 43), opening up a space where Boothbay Gray encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 43), opening up a space where Boothbay Gray encloses it.